I chuckled a little when I saw the pointy caps on top of the crates. These are so that no one stacks anything on top of them or puts another pallet on them.

As you can see well crated! Lots of 2x4's used to make the pallet and frame. covered in osb board and padded with Styrofoam. If it did get damaged it really would be from extreme rough handling.

This many screws to get all the side panels off. Screw gun not included... you defiantly want one for this! I actually think there were even more screws than what I took a picture of!

All this support stuff and have not even taken the bottom apart yet! Lots of protection for the precious cargo!

Well here they are... I know, unwrap the tank, we want to see the tank, lol. Patience the pics are coming. As you can see the tank was wrapped in Styrofoam and the foam pad that goes on top of the stand is under the tank to protect it. These guys have done this before! Super protected all the way around.

The tank, with the awesome aluminum frame. Very well constructed with tight seems.

The stand, feel light but more than sturdy enough for the beast.
Very nice panel detailing too!

Good silicone on upright areas, nice thick beads. Very clean looking! Was super happy to see how well done this was.
Very high quality workmanship and pride in their work!

Thick and sloppy on the bottom... still good, we don't want leaks. Im sure Custom Aquariums also does not want to deal with leaks under warranty also.

The tank in the house

I did LED light in the stand and constructed a bracket for my UV

The product review:

Dealing with Custom Aquariums via phone and email has been a pleasure. They are prompt to get back with you even with what may seem like dumb questions on my part. You can tell there is a sense of pride in the product they make and that they really care to have you as a happy customer. (Likely also a repeat customer, you know we always want a bigger tank! lol) I dealt with Mike and had multiple phone conversations, emails and through it all was very friendly and knowledgeable.

The tank is custom built and did require time to make, I was quoted 12 weeks and sure enough they delivered in that time frame. So I highlight the fact you need to plan this out. Know when you are going to purchase and when to expect delivery.

I choose a pretty standard tank size from their list but pretty cool that they are the factory so if you wanted a size other than the standard you can get it. I have talked with many on forums who wished for something over 24" but not as wide as 36", well Custom Aquariums can handle all that. I really wanted a 30" wide tank but my house is pretty little and just did not have the space so 24" wide it was. If you needed a big tank for a mbu or Fahaka these guys can do.

Due to the amount spent, my order qualified for free shipping. This is a BIG DEAL! I had priced out some other tanks online and was quoted $600+ in shipping cost! So yes I spent a lot on this tank but with shipping included it really was worth every penny!

Upon getting my notice that the product was on the way, I was a bit nervous because I had never ordered anything like this before on a freight truck. Well no need to worry these guys do this for a living. Everything arrive in good shape. The items came in on a Fed Ex truck with a lift gate so no issues at all getting it out or in my garage. The driver too was patient and let me open the crates to examine/inspect for damage. Please note this is a requirement to check if you need to make a claim. Don't let a driver push you into signing without inspecting!

Tons of wood, screws and padding were in place to protect the tank, again you can tell its not their first time at this. No issues, everything in good shape, no scratches, dents or broken glass. Joked with friends that with all the wood they used to package this thing, I could have built a shed! Not really, but you see from the pics that it was a LOT of wood used to protect it! With pallet/construction material figured into the price, you really are getting an awesome deal.

I will say this, DO NOT SKIMP, RENT THE SUCTION CUPS! Now that that has been said, rent the suction cups. It may seem unnecessary but I am so glad I did it. The tank was a beast to bring inside the house. Took eight close friends and lots of beer. Remember move tank first, then beer!http://customaquariums.com/s-6-delivery ... r-aquarium

Going back to the tank, I have to say there is pride in workmanship for sure. The aluminum frame seams were tight and the silicone well done. You can see by the pictures the upright vertical seams are very clean and well done with nice thick beads of black silicone used. I love the black silicone on tanks, if you have never had it you don't know what you are missing. It always looks clean even when you get a little algae on it you cant tell. Ive seen (and owned) some tanks with pretty bad silicone work. What makes me laugh is that these companies put a little tag on it as to who did the work. I really think these guys should be embarrassed to even have their name associated with it. With the Custom Aquariums 300 gallon I did not find any label with a name on it, but they have nothing to be ashamed of, great workmanship and clean silicone on the upright seams!http://customaquariums.com/c-4-lifetime-aquariums.aspx

The stand too is well constructed with a high quality maple ply being used. While the stand seem light at least compared to the tank, it is plenty strong! Ive always owned black stands but with the remodel to the home and open concept design with the kitchen in view, the wife and I decided on white. This is a very cool option! Not very many companies offer even that simple choice. I also liked the styles offered with a more traditional furniture look or more contemporary. Again choices that a lot of companies do not offer. My current stand on my 210g was pretty sloppy and I ended up reinforcing and doing some trim work to make it look like something that belonged in the house. The majestic stands look nice for sure and don't need to be prettied up to have in the house. Love the fact the surface where the tank goes is one solid sheet of plywood. http://customaquariums.com/c-9-majestic ... opies.aspx

I wanted the full warranty so I purchased everything to make sure to get this. This included the foam pad for under the tank. This is not a soft squishy foam or a Styrofoam but more of a super dense memory foam. That's the best way to describe it. This helps level out any imperfections and support the tank. A bit difficult the place the giant tank on the foam because it does not want to slide, this is where the suction cups came in handy to lift and move the tank in place on the foam. When I first unpacked the tank I was looking all over for this foam but then realized they put it under the tank for shipment.

I could talk for days about how excited I am about this but will quit here.

Oh if you cant tell from the review, I really have enjoyed the entire experience dealing with CustomAquariums.com and recommend them to anyone wanting a high quality aquarium. Feel free to call or email them, They got back with me quickly on all my questions.

Last edited by DMD123 on Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I wish it were just a puffer tank like a nice big fahaka but sadly its a cichlid, bichir tank, lol. The house were moved into is very small and the tank is the highlight of the house. With only a little over 1000 Sqft there is only room for it and a 75g. So my hairy puffer at least gets an upgrade from a 40B to a 75g.

Going on almost a week set up and everything seems to be running well. The water turns color pretty quickly due to the mopani tannin so I have changed water every other day now. I forgot how much of a poop machine the pleco is! I end up doing a small gravel vac of poo daily!

A couple more random pictures:

Teugelsi bichir named Tweedle due to the tweed patterning

Delhezi bichir named Darwin

Porkchop the pearsei in size comparison pic with the others. She is 14" now

This little guy has grown really sloooooow.... Heterospilus named Monty because they are called 'montecristo cichlid'
Snooki the red bay snook in the background

Interesting behavior with the fish in the big tank. The bichirs are all over the place and the teug will dash from one side of the tank to the other. The snook has staked out a little territory and been ultra aggressive and flares at all the fish. Porkchop has bit her a couple times now to keep her in line. Once this week of treatment is done on the regani and I put him back in the 300g Im sure the dynamics will change yet again. The fun of cichlids!

So now that Im all set up and running I have time to actually sit and watch my fish. Super happy with the way the aquarium came out!

Been a super long time since I updated this. I still have the 300g and still love it a lot. My stock has changed quite a bit with all the smaller upper jaw polys replaced with the larger lower jaw types. As to cichlids I have just the Pearsei and Het. I decided on this stock change to keep maintence to a minimum and give lots of space for everyone.

I always wanted a large tank like this & would definitely stock it similarly! I finally have a fishroom in my new home but the largest my husband trusts the floors with (even with supports underneath), is a 180.

You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...